Hen with crooked beak...Help!

[cromic13]

Hi all, I need some advice. I own an animal sanctuary and was asked by a farmer to take a hen in that has a deformed beak. He asked me because his coop does not have any heat source and because of her deformity water drips out he mouth and down her front. He was afraid that she would freeze to death. I have a heat source in my coop and it works great, however water is still collecting on her front. Can chickens be litter box trained? Any suggestions? She is the sweetest chicken....

 

[azygous]

Hah! Every time I scoop poop in my runs and coops, I wish it was possible to train chickens to all poop in one spot like llamas do. Now that would be so convenient. But, alas, chickens are chickens and not llamas.

The closest I ever came to training a chicken to poop in one spot was when I had a rooster who needed to spend days in my garage when it was severely cold. He was in a large crate, and he would wait until I took him out and placed him on a newspaper in the garage window to poop. But, I don't know how that would be applicable to your situation with your rescued hen. And it only worked with my roosters for some reason, and not my hens, who happily pooped with great abandon in the crate.

If I might ask, what does dribbling water down her front have to do with littler box training?

 

[STACEYH]

I have never tried . Good luck.

 

[cromic13]

Hah! Every time I scoop poop in my runs and coops, I wish it was possible to train chickens to all poop in one spot like llamas do. Now that would be so convenient. But, alas, chickens are chickens and not llamas.

The closest I ever came to training a chicken to poop in one spot was when I had a rooster who needed to spend days in my garage when it was severely cold. He was in a large crate, and he would wait until I took him out and placed him on a newspaper in the garage window to poop. But, I don't know how that would be applicable to your situation with your rescued hen. And it only worked with my roosters for some reason, and not my hens, who happily pooped with great abandon in the crate.

If I might ask, what does dribbling water down her front have to do with littler box training?

I was thinking of bringing her into the house when it gets really cold outside. Right now the coop/barn heater seems to be working but it is only getting down to the 20's right now.

 

[cromic13]

I have never tried . Good luck.

Thank you

 

[marsmallowthesilkie]

Can you show us a pic of her beak?

 

[cromic13]

Can you show us a pic of her beak?

this is the best one i have so far.

 

[Mosey2003]

That actually doesn't look so bad, I bet you could trim part of that hook from the upper beak and maybe a little on the lower and she might do a little better.

If you want her in the house intermittently I would just use a chicken diaper on her. Or put her in a large wire crate with puppy pads.